How-to
How to Make Desi Ghee From Malai
Published September 2026
Malai ghee starts with cream skimmed from boiled milk. You collect it over several days, churn butter, wash it, then clarify on low heat. The extra steps reward you with aroma that butter-only batches sometimes lack.
Collect and culture malai
After boiling and cooling milk, skim the cream layer into a clean container. Refrigerate daily additions. Use cream within five to seven days to avoid sour off-notes unless you intend cultured butter.
For cultured flavor, stir a teaspoon of yogurt into fresh cream and leave at room temperature a few hours before chilling. This mimics the curd stage used in bilona-style ghee.
- Use full-fat milk for thicker malai
- Store cream in a steel or glass bowl with lid
- Keep refrigerator below 4°C / 40°F
- Discard cream that smells rancid before churning
Churn butter from malai
Take chilled cream to a large bowl. Add cold water equal to about one third of the cream volume. Churn with a hand mixer, whisk, or traditional madani until yellow butter clumps separate from thin buttermilk.
Gather butter lumps and wash them in cold water two or three times, kneading gently. Removing buttermilk helps the clarified ghee keep longer.
- Chill malai for at least 2 hours before churning
- Add cold water and churn until butter separates
- Wash butter lumps in cold water until water runs clearer
- Drain well before moving to the clarification pan
Clarify butter into ghee
Transfer washed butter to a wide pan. Follow the same low-heat clarification as our butter method guide. Cultured butter may foam more at first; keep heat low and watch solids.
Browning time can run slightly longer than store butter because homemade butter retains more moisture and solids.
How this relates to bilona ghee
Bilona ghee usually means hand-churned curd butter before clarification. Home malai ghee follows the same idea when you culture cream and churn by hand. Commercial bilona labels charge for labor, not a different nutrient class.
See A2 desi ghee if you are buying premium labeled jars instead of making at home.
Troubleshooting
- Cream will not churn: cream too warm or too thin. Chill longer or collect more days of malai.
- Ghee smells sour: cream was over-fermented or not washed well. Start fresh cream.
- Low yield: milk was low fat or cream layer was thin. Expect less butter from toned milk.
- Excess foam during clarify: normal for cultured butter. Lower heat and use a wider pan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip churning and clarify cream directly?
Direct cream clarification is possible but foams heavily and needs experienced heat control. Churning to butter first is safer for home cooks.
Is malai ghee the same as bilona ghee?
Bilona usually means hand-churned curd butter before clarification. Malai home method can mimic bilona if you churn by hand from cultured curd.
How much malai for 1 kg ghee?
Roughly 20 to 25 liters of full-fat cow milk yields about 1 kg ghee depending on breed and season. Buffalo milk yields more fat per liter.
Can I use malai from raw milk?
Boiling milk before skimming is standard in many households for safety. Follow local food safety guidance for your milk source.
